


In Dreams

by OatmealCider



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Trauma, Zack Lives, cloud and Zack are really messed up guys, everyone loves everyone, relationships are hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:48:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24085345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OatmealCider/pseuds/OatmealCider
Summary: Zack survives the assault outside of Midgar. Now, he and Cloud must Learn to survive in the belly of the beast. Not all danger is gone. Shinra is still looking for their pound of flesh. Zack learns that his problems are only beginning. Caring for a sick and confused best friend is difficult and life on the run hasn’t changed.Cloud struggles to gain his independence. Familiar faces may not be as friendly as they seem. Let’s all cry a lil’ bout it.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife, Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart, Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 7
Kudos: 75





	In Dreams

As they approached the city the sun shrinks and eventually disappears. Zack drags both Cloud and himself to the gates of midgar. In the shadow of the behemoth Zack and his comatose companion approach a gate. Cloud hangs on to Zack’s shoulder for dear life. Zack battered and blood, has barely managed to stay conscious himself. He gazes up and takes in the immense city in disbelief.   
“I can’t believe it..we, we made it.” He says in awe. Cloud only groans in what he assumes is fatigue beside him.

Zack feels lost. The weight of the world is coming down on him rapidly. The blood loss and exhaustion finally take their toll as the adrenaline wears off. 

He moves to drag his unconscious friend towards the entrance of a bus terminal at the edge of the city. The trains had stopped running much earlier in the evening. Besides, the late night bus was perfect for people like them. Quiet, tired, and not looking to draw unwanted attention. 

The bus itself looked about how Zack felt. Ready to stall out and die. He adjusts cloud another time, and his arm muscles burn with the effort. He manages to drop his last remaining coins (courtesy of the driver they hitched a ride with earlier) into the pay slot on the bus. Zack shuffles down the aisle and settles them both into a seat. He is worn out from the constant paranoia, walking into the belly of the beast is overwhelming. 

The engine rumbles. He struggles to keep his burning eyes open as the smog and choking mako smell permeates everything. Something sticky catches in his eye lashes. He doesn’t have the energy to check what it is.   
“We’re here cloud. We made it. Just gotta hold on...until we get to ...”, his whisper dies as he loses his breath. His lungs feel tight. The thought of seeing ‘her’ in this state terrifies him. What will she think? He’s ashamed. Scared. Terrified of having even made it this far. What if they’re still being followed? Zack loses track of his thoughts as the world grows dark. He can’t fight any longer. 

—-

Cloud rouses with a start. everything swims in his vision. He struggles to lift his eyes and his head. He feels the warm presence beside him again. The always there and comforting presence. Safe. Warm. ‘Zack...’, His brain supplies. Yet there’s a sound and Cloud is scared. Something has grabbed hold of his arm and is trying to drag him away.   
Cloud snaps his eyes up “n...no...” he holds tighter to his friend and tries not to cry. “Aaa, s-stop”, he gurgles. Barely coherent. The hands pull away. His vision clears a bit, and he sees the face of a perturbed bus driver stamping his foot. 

“Last stop pal. Bus is done for the night. Get your nasty junkie asses out of here Before I call security.”

Cloud looks at the man in confusion. Fighting an overwhelming sense of nausea he stares at the driver. He’d said, ‘security’. Security means... men in uniforms, guns, Shinra...cold steel needlesglassmako… 

Cloud shoots up to his feet. The terror he feels is overwhelming. His friend barely twitches. Cloud swallows, ‘s-sorry please don-“ 

The driver cuts him off, “ I don’t care just get out.” 

Cloud struggles to untangle himself from Zack’s prone form. Something’s wrong. Zack isn’t moving. He’s...bleeding. Is he alive? Cloud gapes for a moment. The blood does something to him. It’s all he sees and he tries to touch his friend and blood is everywhere. Cloud feels something wet running down his cheek, his vision blurs and he quietly tries to whisper his friend’s name. “Z-Zack?” 

There is nonresponse. Cloud’s throat hurts. Like he hasn’t talked in years. A tremor overtakes him, and he loses track of everything for a second. 

Cloud blinks. He’s standing outside of the terminal. Something heavy hanging off his right side. It’s Zack. His friend is basically dragging along on the ground. Cloud’s foot takes another step towards...he’s not sure. He can see a bench distantly. It would probably be a good place for Zack to rest.

He's not feeling that great himself. Cloud’s not sure how they ended up here. Wherever that is. He’d blinked and...now he’s shuffling, lungs heaving. Everything hurts, especially his head. As they approach the bench everything starts turning green. Cloud gasps, he can’t go any further. He looks down at his...friend. He has to stay with Zack. He’s not sure why, but he knows if Zack is there everything will be okay. With that last thought cloud drops to the ground. Slipping back into darkness.

——

Tifa Lockhart was just another 20 year old. She worked at a bar. In fact, she fucking owned it. Not many could brag about that. Most girls her age were either dancing, waiting tables, or doing...worse. She’d always been good at planning. In fact her ability to think strategically was one her best qualities. That, and the fact that she’d fought for every penny she had. Her fighting skills were a sight to behold. She hadn’t needed to do a match for money in a very long time.   
She preferred the bar setting. She could deal with the drunks and the creeps. She was respected and liked. She knew that her regulars would never hurt her; even if they would get carried away. Besides, fighting other people in a ring felt a little too good sometimes. She was tired of how her anger was making her feel. Tired of coming home battered and bloody with only some Gil to show for it. It felt pointless when she wasn’t fighting the real enemy. So when she met Barret, and used her winnings to open 7th heaven; she’d felt like her life was finally looking up.  
It gave her time to focus on what was really important, taking down the source of all her suffering. 

Shinra. 

As it was, Tifa was trudging through the sector currently. It was somewhere between five and six in morning, early for the red eye train. She’d had trouble sleeping, but Tifa told herself it was the anxiety. She had an updated fake ID from Jessie, and she was hoping to buy a few rare machine components from a dealer up on the plate.

Tifa’s eyes were still blurry, she suspected it was due to her growing hangover from last night, but running a bar was never easy. Being up until the middle of the night, was a small price to pay for happiness. As she approached the sector seven transit area, she yawned. In her tired haze, Tifa almost didn’t register the sight before her. 

Tucked against the train platform, a row of sat a row of blonde spikes. Pooled blood. Two bodies huddled together on the ground; indistinguishable from one another in the dirt and the mud. Tifa froze.

Her heart felt as if it would jump out through her chest. She couldn’t hear anything past the rush of blood in her ears. She stumbled towards the blonde man on the ground.   
“Cloud?”  
She sees the face, knowing already who it is. It still doesn’t prepare her for the wave of emotion that hits her. “You’re alive?” She chokes. Gasps. “After...everything...and the fire...did you even know?”

It is indeed Cloud Strife in front of her. But he’s different, not like the the little boy she remembers. He’s older, taller, rougher, and Gaunt. His frame is larger and sharper than she remembers. Plains of muscle stick out almost unnaturally against his thin and pale body. It’s as if he hasn’t eaten, or seen the sun for a long time.   
“Why just show up now...? After all this time?” She spits it out. She’s left shaking with the effort.

Cloud doesn’t respond. He appears to be unconscious. Tifa’s hands hover over his form. She didn’t notice she’d fallen to her knees, but seeing a ghost could do that to a person. Her senses rush back to her and she takes in her surroundings. It’s so early the sun hasn’t yet risen. There are few, if any people around. Something is wrong. Very wrong. She thinks this would be bad for the wrong eyes to see. Sometimes, Tifa feels like she’s being watched. The feeling creeps up over her, and she can't shake the feeling. Urgently, she grabs her former friend and shakes him. Cloud’s head lolls, and his lips seem blue as if he’s gasping for air. Tifa, reaches out to touch his pale and clammy face. Cloud needs a doctor, he’s definitely very ill. 

She then lets her eyes travel to his companion. This one looks worse. He’s bigger than Cloud. An arm is wrapped around the smaller man’s frame protectively. Most of the blood appears to belong to him as well. The larger man lays prone on his stomach. He doesn’t stir. In fact he hardly seems to be breathing. Tifa eyes the wild raven hair. familiarity blossoms in her, it slices almost like steel through her chest. She shakes her head.

“Cloud, who...who is this?” She whispers to her unconscious friend in disbelief.   
It’s then she notices, the...uniforms. They’re both dressed like SOLDIERS, first class. A sword bigger than she is hangs off the other dark haired man’s shoulder. Tifa thinks she’s dreaming. Almost like she’s moving through jelly, she slowly leans in and grasps the raven haired man’s shoulder. His bloody and bruised face comes into view. 

It’s a face she knew from nightmares. These were the dreams that would wake her up and leave her screaming and feeling helpless. His face existed in the dreams that used to make her jump into that ring almost every night. She remembered the need to fight like she didn’t have anything left to lose. It was a face that she wanted to forget for the rest of her life. 

A very not dead Zack Fair SOLDIER first class, was laid bleeding and unconscious at her feet. 

Tifa turns her head and wretches where she sits. 

——  
End.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys so welcome to my fic. It was totally by accident. I haven’t attempted to write anything in literal years. I feel quite rusty, but I don’t think I ever really reached any acclaim when I was a kid. I’m an illustrator, and i really was just trying to visualize some things, and this fic sprang up.   
> I think def want to keep this going, not sure how far-  
> I have some fics that i wish this compared to, but All I can do is my best. This fic has sort of been on my mind for a while now. So, I’m happy to share what I’ve been thinking about.  
> Or maybe that’s just the quarantine talking?   
> Anyway I really love Tifa, I find her deeply relatable. What a badass.


End file.
